Bill Bloomfield is a very wealthy charter school supporter in California. He sent out a letter endorsing charter advocate Marshall Tuck for State Superintendent, accompanied by a photograph of Barack Obama, who has not endorsed anyone in the race. Tuck comes from the charter sector.
Tuck is running against Tony Thurmond, a state legislator who strongly supports public schools.
The California State NAACP was outraged by Bloomfield’s letter and told him so. It was especially shocked that he used Obama’s portrait in a mailer opposing an African American candidate. It pointed out that Bloomfield worked in John McCain’s campaign against Obama.
Bloomfield describes himself on his website as a major supporter of Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst, Parent Revolution (which tries to convert public schools to charter schools), and other reform organizations that attack public schools and promote charters.
It is pathetic how these charter promoters try to hitch themselves to the banner of the civil rights movement.
Read the letter here.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Well Ms. Rhee was in DC for ten years and like Trump they promoted a lie, those students could neither read, nor write and still the same tired charter methods are being used. Buy school districts, to get your way This is an educational policy to ensure that minorities do not get the education that they deserve. However I am so happy that Wall Street is making loads of money with charters while students go to bed hungry.
Unfortunately, this is a David vs Goliath fight if there ever was one. Far too many people are self-appointed in this fight and many are alienating the public (whose support is vital) with broad sweeping generalizations that are offensive and often bigoted and racist.
Most billionaires are either not in this fight or on our side. The language of these attacks rarely suggest those facts.
Moreover, the NAACP is losing credibility with cases like the one I’ll link to. We have to be closer to perfect than our adversaries in this effort. The NAACP doesn’t seem to share that opinion. Consider their Rachel Dolezal disaster which they did nothing about. Then read below where they just roll over and publicly claim they are gonna take their employee’s word for it despite the video being released showing he is clearly lying. And he’s lying about something that couldn’t be more important.
At least we still have the Southern Poverty Law Center.
https://www.theroot.com/south-carolina-naacp-president-claimed-he-was-racially-1826069258
I don’t see the relevance of the video you posted.
The NAACP is still the largest and most credible civil rights organization in the country.
It has called for a moratorium on new charter schools.
It is one of the few civil rights groups that has not been silenced by contributions.
The privatizers of everything in the public sector, those few who are doing everything they can to subvert the US Constitution and due process rights through mandatory arbitration that they control, are not capable of being honest or feeling shame.
“…or feeling shame.” Yes. Too often it feels as if leadership on the left endlessly assumes that good things will happen because guilt or shame will keep things all happily lined up. I remember feeling terribly frustrated when Pres. Obama got into office and immediately bent to the right, believing that somehow there was an even playing field waiting for him there.
I think it was almost as if G. W. Bush and Obama grew up in the same family they were so similar as presidents in too many ways. Their differences were few.
The ed reform candidates aren’t offering anything to public school families.
It’s incredible when you think about it- it’s such an echo chamber it never occurs to them that they have to offer value to kids in existing public schools.
The very BEST they (grudgingly) will say, the BEST case for public schools when you hire one of these folks is they promise not to deliberately and actively harm children in the public schools they hope to eradicate.
It has to be the worst election pitch in the history of the word, yet they ALL follow it.
If you’re a public school family they are asking for your vote while telling you they don’t plan to lift a finger to support your school. They often BRAG about this as if it’s a proud badge of “movement ed reformer” – they will come down hard on those public schools!
And if you’re a public school parent you’re thinking “come down hard on public schools? Why, my child attends one of those!”
You’d be nuts to support them.
I read a lot of ed reform- read across the echo chamber- and one of the “debates” they’re having right now is how to “lessen the pain” for public school students while they complete the privatization plans.
That’s some election message, huh? They will generously “lessen the pain” at your kid’s public school. This passes for a benefit, something we’re supposed to be grateful for.
It is apparently unimagineable that we would ever demand they actually contribute something positive. The BEST we get is “pain”, some or a lot.
Right on: “It is pathetic how these charter promoters try to hitch themselves to the banner of the civil rights movement.”
We all need to identify those marketing ploys, and point out those lies and 1/2 truths.
This is good, though, and it’s a real change in Ohio:
http://plunderbund.com/2018/05/23/brenner-blocks-bipartisan-move-to-protect-local-schools/
4 Republicans broke ranks and voted for a pro-public school bill in the lower chamber.
Ed reformers blocked it, so it’s not going to be a law, but Republicans are finally breaking ranks.
LittleSis.org says:
William E Bloomfield Jr gave $2,000,000 (2014) to Parents and Teachers for Tuck.
Eli Broad gave $1,000,000 (2014) to Parents and Teachers for Tuck.
Eli Broad gave $40,800 (2011) to Barack Obama.
Laurene Powell Jobs gave $500,000 (2014) to Parents and Teachers for Tuck.
Laurene Powell Jobs gave $40,800 (2011) to Barack Obama.
Marshall Tuck and Parents and Teachers for Tuck have/had a generic relationship.
Marshall Tuck gave $250 (2012) to Barack Obama.
So, let’s remember it is Obama’s Race to the Top Competition. Not “program.” Not “initiative.” Competition, including more charter schools.
Watch and hear it again: https://youtu.be/-VQYAkMD7HE